Marble deck discoloration when installed

[Retthood2]

The day after our leathered marble (Royal Beige by Tile Paver Source) was installed and sanded, a rust color has been seeping through the tile under the porch. This has not occurred where the tile was mortared around the pool. I suspect this is due to the paver base not being appropriate sand. Does anyone know what the appropriate sand base for marble is? What they used looked like limestone but I’ve heard that you should only use crushed granite. The PM said I just need to wash it off with water a bunch of times and it will go away. All this does is mask the color when the stone is wet, and definitely doesn’t remove the stain. Again, this started the day after the install and no amount of water and scrubbing has helped. Any suggestions?

 

[JupiterFL]

We just had marble deck laid 2 days ago. We have some spots (see photo). Not near as bad as you are experiencing. PB said in text that it’s mineral deposits coming out of the stone. He’s coming by today to discuss. I did see a post on Houzz where someone had marble that look like yours and it eventually cleared up after 2 years…

 

[JupiterFL]

Just met with PB. He said it's minerals that come out of the stone. We have more areas now than we had yesterday when I took the photo above. He said it will bleach out of the pavers in the sun quickly. He reccomends soaking the pavers that are under a covered area (literally just hosing them with water to keep them wet as much as possible) and the minerals will work out of the paver faster. He said if we do the soaking, then they will replace any pavers that still have it near the end of the pool build.

 

[kimkats]

I am in to learn on this one. PLEASE keep us updated so we can all learn from this with you.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

@mcleod … any thoughts from your experience with stone work …

 

[Toxophilite]

Pavers here will screed with construction sand, which is just a course grade manufactured sand. Very clean from lesser particle sizes (dirt/dust) and doesn't pack settle due to sharpness. Looks like maybe that area is holding water. But, marble is very porous as well.

 

[mcleod]

Pavers here will screed with construction sand, which is just a course grade manufactured sand. Very clean from lesser particle sizes (dirt/dust) and doesn't pack settle due to sharpness. Looks like maybe that area is holding water. But, marble is very porous as well.

Just met with PB. He said it's minerals that come out of the stone. We have more areas now than we had yesterday when I took the photo above. He said it will bleach out of the pavers in the sun quickly. He reccomends soaking the pavers that are under a covered area (literally just hosing them with water to keep them wet as much as possible) and the minerals will work out of the paver faster. He said if we do the soaking, then they will replace any pavers that still have it near the end of the pool build.

@JoyfulNoise has sent your post along to me. What is the type of marble? Country of origination? What is the surface finish? Rough? Smooth? Sand blasted?

 

[JupiterFL]

What is the type of marble? Country of origination? What is the surface finish? Rough? Smooth? Sand blasted?

I don't want to take over the OP's thread... Not sure of the etiquette here... I just happen to be experiancing something similar at the same momentf, so was trying to provide what info I had. My stone is sand blasted marble in South Florida. I don't know any more than that.

 

[mcleod]

The day after our leathered marble (Royal Beige by Tile Paver Source) was installed and sanded, a rust color has been seeping through the tile under the porch. This has not occurred where the tile was mortared around the pool. I suspect this is due to the paver base not being appropriate sand. Does anyone know what the appropriate sand base for marble is? What they used looked like limestone but I’ve heard that you should only use crushed granite. The PM said I just need to wash it off with water a bunch of times and it will go away. All this does is mask the color when the stone is wet, and definitely doesn’t remove the stain. Again, this started the day after the install and no amount of water and scrubbing has helped. Any suggestions?

@JoyfulNoise sent me your way. A couple of questions, if I may. The type of marble (Royal Beige is a trade name)? Calcutta? Carrara? the country of origin (where quarried). How old is the installation? Have you had rain recently? A little or a lot? The same stone is around the pool? Let's start with these.

Take some household bleach and q-tip outside. Wet the q-tip and place on the stain. let it sit there for five minutes. Remove q-tip and wipe with clear water. Allow to dry if necessary. What do you see?

 

[mcleod]

I don't want to take over the OP's thread... Not sure of the etiquette here... I just happen to be experiancing something similar at the same momentf, so was trying to provide what info I had. My stone is sand blasted marble in South Florida. I don't know any more than that.

Not a problem. I replied to your post before I saw the other.

 

[Retthood2]

Not a problem. I replied to your post before I saw the other.

Unfortunately, I'm out of the country for a week so can't do the bleach experiment. I'm not exactly sure of the specifics, county of origin, etc... The PB sourced the tile from a Florida dealer (Tile and Paver source out of Jacksonville and Tampa) Marble | TPS. The specific color is Royal Beige from their line. The pictures were taken 3 days after install. Yes, there was rain, but it is a covered porch. The same tile that is surrounds the pool is not having these issues, but there is only about 1ft of sand base over concrete sub deck since the edges are only 2-2.5ft. The area with 16x24" coping (same tile) mortared to the 1' beam has zero issues as well. I've asked the PM multiple times to tell me what kind of construction sand they used as a base but he refuses to tell me or just doesn't care enough to find out. I've been told that crushed granite is the only thing that would have been appropriate, but I am sure it wasn't that. I'll post a picture of what the sand looked like.

 

[Retthood2]

You can see the sand on the right side of the pool deck. It was the same sand used underneath the porch. They also used playground sand from Home Depot to spread over the top to fill in the gaps between tiles.

 

[JupiterFL]

Just my thoughts from what I am experiencing with my stone. The sun is bleaching out any stain very quickly. The photos below are of the same stain 24hrs apart. My deck faces due west so the covered part still gets a lot of afternoon sun.

The pavers under my covered area are mud set on top of an existing concrete deck. The pavers outside the covered area are sand set (crushed aggregate base with sand on top of that).

In my case, I think the sun is bleaching the sand set pavers too quickly to see stains. The pavers in the covered patio get shade the first half the day and it allows the stains to show up before being bleached by the afternoon sun.

I would think if your Q-tip bleach test works, then you could soak your pavers to draw out the stains and then clean with a water/bleach solution. All speculation on my part. Just a thought. I would let mcleod weigh in.

 

[JupiterFL]

Sorry it says my 2nd photo is to large to upload, but the stain is basically gone.

 

[JupiterFL]

Got it to work